UP: 9th wolf shot dead by forest dept in Bahraich, villagers breathe easy

LUCKNOW: The Forest Department on Thursday evening neutralised the ninth wolf in Bahraich district's Bhirgu Purwa village bringing a sense of relief to residents who had been living under fear due to the predator’s repeated sightings.Acting on precise location inputs, a Forest Department combing team reached the area and carried out a large-scale operation. When efforts to capture the animal alive failed, the wolf was ultimately shot dead in the kachhar (riverine) area of the Saryu River.Sundresha Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Bahraich who was recently transferred to Bahraich, said that information about the wolf’s presence in Bhirgu Purwa—under the Kaiserganj Range—was received by the combing team in the evening.Following the alert, forest personnel laid traps nearly four kilometres inside the riverine belt and maintained continuous surveillance using drones. The wolf briefly got entangled in a trap but managed to escape. After an extended chase, shooters cordoned off the area and successfully neutralised the animal. The carcass was later recovered at night from the Saryu riverbed and sent to the range office for post-mortem examination.DFO said that the neutralised wolf was a three-year-old male.Forest officials said heightened surveillance and combing operations will continue to ensure the safety of villagers in wolf-prone areas.Wolves neutralised so far20252026